WISCONSIN — Wisconsinites tackled a year like never before and Spectrum News 1 was there to tell their stories.
We take a look back on the events that not only shaped our perspectives as human beings, but the world as a whole.
Republican National Convention
Milwaukee took center stage as it hosted the Republican National Convention this year ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
At the four-day convention in July, President-elect Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president and announced his running mate and now Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
Delegates from all over descended on the Cream City. Small businesses in the area hoped to receive a boom in profits after being promised an economic boost, but some didn’t get that victory. Instead, businesses on the edge of the security border sat empty and remained sluggish.
It was the first time the city hosted the RNC, but not the first time it hosted a national political convention. The 2020 Democratic National Convention was to be set in Milwaukee but went mostly virtual due to COVID.
2024 Presidential Election
After months of dozens of campaign rallies and presidential visits, nearly 3.4 million people in Wisconsin cast ballots on Nov. 6, bringing voter turnout to almost 73% in the state. When President-elect Donald Trump won Wisconsin, he also secured enough votes to win the presidency.
Beyond the presidential race, Wiscnosin also re-elected Sen. Tammy Baldwin to a third term, as well as multiple congressmen. Notably, Rep. Tony Wied won both a special election to finish out former Rep. Mike Gallagher's term, as well as his own term starting in 2025.
The Badger State also approved millions of dollars in school funding via referendums and weighed in on constitutional ammendments.
Top Chef
Bravo's 21st season of "Top Chef" was filmed in Wisconsin in 2023 and premiered this March. The show featured Milwaukee's own Dan Jacobs, who is a chef and restaurateur in the Badger State.
Jacobs, who owns DanDan and EsterEv, said he tried out for the reality show 13 times before making the cut. After finally making it filming, he made it to the season finale, placing in the top three.
Solar Eclipse
The solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, had people traveling far and wide to get a glimpse of totality. But it could also be seen at 80% to 90% coverage in the Badger State.
There were lots of watch parties in various parts of the state for the historic occasion.
Political Maps
The battle over Wisconsin’s political boundaries has been years in the making. Republicans drew the lines in 2011, and several lawsuits by Democrats were unsuccessful until this year.
With liberal-learning Justice Janet Protasiewicz on the bench, a lawsuit was filed in August, that ultimately led to a 4-3 ruling in December in favor of Democrats who argued the GOP legislative maps were unconstitutional because districts weren’t contiguous.
Act 10
In early December, a Dane County judge ruled that certain sections of Act 10 were no longer enforceable, restoring collective bargaining powers for teachers and other public workers.
The 2011 law was created by former Gov. Scott Walker and required some public employees to pay more for pensions and health care. It also limited their ability to collectively bargain.
The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Elijah Vue
Elijah Vue was reported missing in Feb. 2024. The 3-year-old's remains were found in September after a months-long investigation by police and countless volunteer searches from members of the community.
His mother and her boyfriend, who was taking care of him at the time, face charges related to his death, including child abuse and neglect. According to the criminal complaint, they both say they had nothing to do with Vue’s disappearance.
Abundant Life Christian School Shooting
On Monday, Dec. 16, a 15-year-old female student killed another teenage student and a teacher at the private Madison school, police said. The shooter also died. Another six people were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from “minor” to “life-threatening,” according to police. The student who was killed was 14-year-old Rubi Patricia Vergara. The teacher who was killed was 42-year-old Erin Michelle West.
According to the obituary, Vergara was “an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.”
According to her obituary, West loved to go on family camping trips, serve at Doxa Church — where she was a member — spend time with her children, enjoy family time and attend school sporting events.
Sade Robinson murdered in Milwaukee
Sade Robinson had told people she had a date the night of April 1. She did not show up to work the next day and was not returning calls.
Maxwell Anderson was allegedly the last person to see Robinson on April 1. Surveillance video showed the two of them met at Twisted Fisherman where they ate and had drinks. He has been charged with killing and dismembering the 19-year-old. Since Robinson's disappearance, multiple body parts have been found and confirmed to belong to her. Anderson's trial is set for next year.
Tornadoes
Wisconsin had a lot of tornadoes this year — 45, to be exact. It was also the first year on record that the state saw tornadoes in February.
May and June were the primary months for tornadoes this year. There were more than 15 in some May storms and about nine or so in June. It left destruction for several communities across the state, even destroying a church in a town an hour southwest of Madison.
Packers win Wild Card Game
The Green Bay Packers came into the playoffs as a No. 7 seed facing the No. 2 seeded Dallas Cowboys in a NFC Wild Card matchup. It was Jordan Love's first NFL playoff start and he couldn't have played better. Up 27-0 at one point in the first half, and 48-17 in the second half, Green Bay dominated Dallas at AT&T Stadium.
This game showed Packer fans that there was a promising future with Love and Matt LaFleur at the helm. After winning in Dallas, the Packers went on to face the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional round. They narrowly lost to Brock Purdy and the 49ers in Santa Clara. After a rocky start to their 2023 season, the Packers ended with plenty of momentum and promise heading into the 2024 season.
Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee
Concerns over various safety and living condition issues at the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee’s (HACM) properties have been brought up by residents for years.
At the helm of that controversy has been HACM’s leader Willie Hines. Residents this year made further pushes for a change in leadership after many said they weren’t seeing progress in their concerns.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a report late in the year on HACM, showing inadequate property management, lack of organizational quality control and an unaccounted for $2.5 million.
The report caused the upheaval of some major players in HACM, including Hines.
Before its release, Hines announced he would retire at the end of the year. HACM’s Deputy Director Fernando Aniban also resigned following its release.
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